The manufacture of dried uncooked pasta such as spaghetti, macaroni, noodles, ziti, etc. involves mixing flour and water to form a paste or feedstock. The paste may be extruded through a die under pressure and at an elevated temperature, cut into appropriate lengths and shapes, and dried; or pressed into a sheeter-kneader to convert the paste into flat sheets which are then cut into various shapes, which in turn, are dried.
Drying is the most time-consuming step in the process. The extrudate or sheeting generally has a moisture content of at least 25% by weight, which must be reduced to a value of about 10%-13% to permit storage at ambient conditions. To accomplish such drying may require from about 18-36 hours under carefully controlled conditions of relative humidity of the air, its temperature and the rate of air circulation in the drying area. Since the pasta is in its final shape, this is a very delicate operation. The rate of drying will affect the integrity of the product. Rapid drying may cause warping or cracking of the pasta. Drying too slowly may also affect the product's integrity, but in addition, may cause the product to sour or become moldy.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,949,101, the drying time disclosed is 34 hours at 100.degree. F. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,330, an 18 hour drying schedule at 41.degree. C. with a programmed decrease of relative humidity to 65% is disclosed. Using formulations containing whey protein and an emulsifier containing mono- and diglycerides, as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,989, can reduce the drying time to 4-6 hours. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,414, the drying time is drastically reduced by simultaneously cooking and drying the cut pasta product with superheated steam at a temperature of 102.degree.-140.degree. C. for 7-20 minutes. This latter product is not the substantially dry product that is customarily found in packages on the shelves of the supermarket.
Recently, pasta products requiring no conventional drying step have been introduced. They can be packaged in a pouch made of vapor barrier material and sold as a "fresh pasta" product. As fresh pasta, it cooks in a shorter time than conventional dry pasta; and does not stick or lump when leftovers are stored in the refrigerator. The fresh pasta products of the prior art are characterized by containing one or two or more essential ingredients besides the glutinous flour and water commonly used for preparing dry pasta. These additional ingredients include eggs, whole or the white portions, optionally with olive oil or the like. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,082, up to 10% ethyl alcohol is substituted for eggs, in the preparation of the fresh pasta product.